CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

As a new user, I'd appreciate feedback on my import strategy and suggestions for whereby stuck.

I'm testing import schemes from a well-maintained Access database. The record structure there uses unique address-specific (household-specific) Key Numbers. It will be helpful to note that we are a radio station.

We have:

- People: One record per household with mailing address,  phone,  other location data and unique Key
- Donations: Amount and date,  multiple records per household,  tied to household via its Key
- Birthdays: A long list of birthdays we announce on air; when possible we tie to household using Key so we can mail a card.  Otherwise have no tie.

Proposed import steps/questions:

1. Import the people as Contacts,  including the Key as External Identifier

-- My gut says to import as Individuals,  although they truly ARE Households.  I want to keep things simple,  though.  Is there a downside,  especially for Step 3 below.

-- Import donation data using Key and External Identifier to tie to Contact.

This has worked beautifully in tests.

3.  I don't know how to import the birthday data. The issues:

a.  Some records have a known address so should be tied to the contact via the key/external identifier.  I can't see how to do this as an import. My gut says to import them as Individuals who are related to the existing Contact defined by external identifier = key.   I'm fine if the relationship is simply "same physical address as".  I know this must be possible,  but can't seem to make it work. I've tried with the existing contact as an Individual and as a Household,  but the import does not seem to like associating my new "birthday" Contacts with an existing External Identifier.

Is there a special strategy for mass import of household members?
Must I define my initial Contact import as Household (rather than Individual) to make the subsequent birthday import work?

b.  Some of our birthday records are name,  note and date...with no contact data! We read them on the radio.  My strategy here would be to import them as individual Contacts the other sparsely populated records.  Any alternative opinions?  My hope is to get more complete data in future and possibly even realize that w  may have it!

Thanks in advance for your feedback!